H2SO4-assisted tandem carbonization synthesis of PANI@carbon@textile flexible electrode for high-performance wearable energy storage

Abstract Rational design and synthesis of high-efficiency flexible electrodes is very crucial for the next-generation wearable electronics. Herein, we, for the first time, report a facile H2SO4-assisted carbonization protocol to synthesize PANI@carbon@textile wearable electrodes, which integrate high flexibility, good conductivity, appropriate carbonized degree and uniform distribution of two kinds of the capacitive materials. The resultant PANI@carbon@textile-8 shows an excellent capacitive performance with a maximum areal specific capacitance of 386.7 mF cm-2, and an impressive capacitance retention over 70% after 5000 cycles, dramatically outperforming many textile-based electrodes reported to date. The symmetrical supercapacitor from two PANI@carbon@textile-8 electrodes shows a large energy density of 35.8 mWh m-2 at a power density of 745 mW m-2. More importantly, due to the unique carbonization effect of the H2SO4, the fundamental structures of the fabric support are well-inherited. The capacitance of the device maintains stable under bending degree from 0 to 180° or stretching with an elongation up to 50%, demonstrating a superior mechanical flexibility and capacitive stability as well as a wide prospect for practical use.